A wrapping at the door roused Hoseok from sleep, he sat up in bed and unconsciously started looking for his phone to check the time. He kept it on his bedside table but as he reached out he found there was no bedside table.
He looked carefully and noticed the room was unfamiliar, the knock came again and he furrowed his brows in confusion.
A messy head of hair sat up beside him, he went rigid, snippets of the previous night flooding his memory. It wasn’t even a few seconds later that Hoseok began hyperventilating, stumbling out of bed to try and get away from Asa before their situation was misconstrued.
There honestly wasn’t much to misconstrue, the situation was exactly as anyone would have thought it, Hoseok was stumbling out of a bed naked with an equally naked woman in it. His breathing could not ease at all.
He found his trousers right at the bottom of the bed and started putting them on frantically, Asa just looked at him from her place on the bed, she didn’t seem fully awake. This was bad.
He found her dress strewn next to his own clothes and he screams internally before picking it up and throwing it at her.
“Get dressed, hurry!” Hoseok said fully panicked because the knocking at the door hadn’t stopped.
“I’ll be right there.” Hoseok tried to even out his voice.
“Sir?” Hoseok heard from the other side of the door, it was his secretary, Hoseok had told him to come and check on Asa in the morning. As far as his secretary knew he wasn’t supposed to be here.
After responding he couldn’t even hide, Hoseok was so lost for what to do he just sat on the edge of the bed dejectedly running his hands through his hair.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and he quickly turned to face Asa who was looking at him quietly. She didn’t say anything, seeming more thoughtful than he’d ever seen her.
She had slipped on her dress and started to get out of bed, he just watched her. Hoseok was still shirtless, Asa picked up his shirt, found his jacket and tie and gave them to him.
Asa sighed and said while putting on her own blazer, “Nothing happened.”
“What do you mean nothing happened, something definitely happened.” Hoseok whispered.
“Forget about it, I just asked you to stay because I was scared of being attacked again is what you’ll tell him if he asks.” Asa replied casually now fully dressed. She pulled her purse off the table and started walking towards the door. She unlocked it and let his secretary in.
“I can’t thank you gentlemen enough for yesterday. I look forward to doing business with you.” Asa smiled at both men and left. Hoseok was now fully dressed and looking at her retreating form in surprise.
“Sir?” His secretary asked and Hoseok just shook his head and left the room as well.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blood splattered on the brick wall colouring it red, the droplets fell down slowly. The room was dark, damp and smelled musty. Heaving and gasping filled the room as the man strapped to the chair at the centre of the room drooped, losing consciousness by the second.
Park Soo Myun was seated in front of the man calculating his disposition and a taller broader man was raining his fists down on the man in the chair.The tall brooding man wore a black t-shirt that gripped his muscles tightly and with each draw back every muscle would tense artfully.
His short dark hair looked moist from the sweat collecting on his brow. His fist was bleeding because he was wearing a four finger metallic ring wrapped in barbed wire. It was inflicting horrid wounds on the face of the man in the chair who had at this point stopped struggling, his white suit shirt now completely soaked with blood and none of his eyes capable of opening.
“Stop.” Park Soo Myun said, the tall bodyguard stopped and stood off to the side.
Park Soo Myun leaned in close and said, “See how easy it is to follow instructions? So tell me again why you can’t do a single thing right.” He then sat back observing the damage.
“Why is Asa walking around, alive and well?” Park Soo Myun asked. “Answer me before I tell him to finish you off.”
The man in the chair was sobbing, his face was swollen and his jaw was dislocated but he knew he would die if he didn’t speak. So through immense pain he began to talk, he stuttered with reddened saliva dripping from his mouth.
“Pleatthh….. pleatthh.”
“Hyun Bin-ah, I didn’t expect this much incompetence from you.” Park Soo Myun began, “I'm disappointed since you’re like a son to me, and I don’t care for being disappointed by, my own.”
Hyun Bin panted, his chest not rising freely due the ropes.
“Jae Young, maybe he needs help remembering.” The bodyguard looked up at his name being called, he started to walk towards Hyun Bin.
“No, NO! Pleathh, some….one…. came…... to helbb her.”
“Who?!” Park Soo Myun shouted getting up from his seat so forcefully he knocked it over. Everyone in the room flinched.
Before Hyun Bin could respond, the door opened, letting in light from a corridor up the stairs.
Soo Min came down the stairs looking seriously focused on her father, as she was moving to get to where he stood she caught a glimpse of Hyun Bin’s disfigured face. It made her gasp but she said nothing.
“Soo Min-ah, I'm busy right now. Wait for Appa upstairs” Park Soo Myun said.
“Soo Min-ah, go to London and run the company subsidiary there, I did it and excelled.” Soo Min started.
“Soo Min-ah go to University and study business so you can run the company. I did that too, and excelled.”
“Soo Min-ah, take ballet, piano, cello and violin classes. I did and excelled at them.”
“There was nothing you wanted from me that I didn't do and do exceptionally well.” Soo Min continued in a low tone, her voice was steady unlike how turbulent her own emotions were.
“So why is it the one thing I asked you not to tamper with? I find you’ve arranged a marriage for me.” She took calming breaths so that her frustration wouldn’t seep into her argument, her father could smell fear.
“Why are you complaining, there’s nothing wrong with the boy. He's rich, handsome and from a good family.” Park Soo Myun turned to look at his daughter stoically.
“I’ve done so much for you, even picked up after the son you disowned and this is all I asked for. To marry whomever I wanted to marry, and now you change your mind without discussing it with me first?”
“Everything I’ve done has been for your own good.”
“My good?” Soo Min sputtered.
“Yes! Your good, have you ever suffered? Ever wanted for anything? I make decisions that are beneficial for this family and all any of you ever did was complain, just like your useless brother, just like your mother.”
Soo Min’s eyes widened, while Park Soo Myun brushed past her without another word. Soo Min let out a sigh, she hadn’t realised she was holding her breath.
“I’ll fix it, I'll find a way.” Soo Min whispered into the room.
“How? What are you going to do?” Jae Young replied stepping in front of her, He towered over her even in her heels. He looked down at her and she looked up at him.
“I met him today, I told him I love someone else. It doesn’t have to be a real marriage, we can still be together.” Soo Min explained to Jae Young.
“You did that on your own? Did you think I'd want that?” Jae Young asked.
“What else did you want me to do?”
“You want me to be the secret affair you have while you’re married, you want me to share you with another man?”
“Youngie, please.”
“Let’s end things here, because if your father doesn’t allow it you won’t do it.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“You’re so stuck in this prison in your own head, and you gave your father the key. I’m not going to join you in there.” Jae Young said with tired eyes, “Let’s stop.”
Soo Min felt anger well up within her, “Fine! I don’t care if you go or you stay, in fact I never want to see your stupid face again!” She shouted.
Jae Young just looked into her eyes with longing and sadness. He breathed out through his nose and walked by her headed for the stairs leading out the basement.
Before he could take the first step he felt arms wrap tightly around his torso and he paused. He could feel her heavy breathing against his back, she was trying to stop herself from crying.
He wanted to do nothing more than hold her but he couldn’t, he wouldn’t be able to leave if he saw her like that.
“I’ll do it the way you want just, let me figure out how. Please don’t go.” Soo Min begged. Jae Young knew his guard could never hold up against her, he sighed and turned around to hold her in his arms. She hid herself in his chest and he could hear tiny sniffs coming from her, he held her even closer if that was possible.
“I’ll wait.” He said. “But I'm not waiting forever.” He concluded.
Jae Young put his chin on top of her head and looked over at Hyun Bin who had passed out as soon as Park Soo Myun took his eyes off him.
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